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Iraq outlook looks dim after pullout

The nation seems to be relapsing rapidly into brutal dictatorship. | Reuters

“Despite U.S. government assurances that it helped create a stable democracy,” Human Rights Watch said, “the reality is that it left behind a budding police state.”

Burns, among others, decries the cost. The academic study, by scholars from a dozen universities under the auspices of the Eisenhower Study Group at Brown University, found that interest on war-related debt, veterans medical and disability costs, foreign-assistance spending and other ancillary costs nearly quadruple the government cost estimate for both wars.

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The study also showed that war-debt interest and continuing medical costs for nearly 200,000 veterans will cost an additional $2 trillion in the years ahead. Already, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide are endemic problems among veterans, the government reports.

Was the war worth it? Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution describes himself as “famously for the war” when it began but now acknowledges that Iraq “is heading in a bad direction” in part because the U.S. has little influence there. Still, he believes that if Washington offered significant new foreign aid, the U.S. would be able to win new influence and begin to turn things around.

“We’ve never made it clear to the Iraqis what is on offer,” he said in an interview.

Sanok strongly disagrees. “Aid has to offer benefits to the U.S.,” she said. “I don’t see it opening doors for us. Our movements there are so restricted. Are we supposed to give them money and just hope it goes to the right places?”

Transparency International ranks Iraq as the world’s eighth-most corrupt state. Last year, al-Maliki tried to take personal control of the state’s anti-corruption agency, but the courts stopped him. Then, four days after the last U.S. troops left, a car bomb blew up the anti-corruption office.

Burns said he supported the war when it was launched in 2003. But he had to think a moment before answering the question: Ultimately, what did the U.S. gain from it?

“Well,” he finally said, “we gave them a chance to be a democracy. That’s something, isn’t it?”

Joel Brinkley, a professor of journalism at Stanford University, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former foreign correspondent for The New York Times.

Readers' Comments (83)

If I recall correctly, Nouri Al-Maliki is the man that George the Worst and his administration considered their most reliable source for information about Iraq. Seems the best "aid" the US could send to Iraq right now would be a team of Seals to assassinate him.

All those wasted American lives.......... All those wasted Iraqi lives........ All those wasted American tax dollars...... For what? What have we saved? What have we won? What were we doing dropping bombs on people in their homeland?

It was a mess. We should have never been in there. Also, the troops don't want to go back. It's just a huge civil war over there. They don't want to fight their battles. The Iraquis also wanted to fight their own war. Only a few wanted us there. It's a total waste. We have problems in Afghanistan, that's enough.

Ok sycophant, the war was a mistake. We get that, so you parade out another poodle General to cover up for the surrender clown in the White House. Wow many Generals warned Obozo not to pull out? And loser, GW did not negotiate a complete troop witihdrawal out of Iraq, the Kenayn Klown did that. And if Iraq back slides back into the hands of terrorists, there is one person to blame and it ain't GW. Imagine if this dictator was still in power today? What would Barry the Appeasor be doing about that?

Let's take a trip down memory lane shall we losers:

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security." -- Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002

Ok sycophant, the war was a mistake. We get that, so you parade out another poodle General to cover up for the surrender clown in the White House. Wow many Generals warned Obozo not to pull out? And loser, GW did not negotiate a complete troop witihdrawal out of Iraq, the Kenayn Klown did that. And if Iraq back slides back into the hands of terrorists, there is one person to blame and it ain't GW. Imagine if this dictator was still in power today? What would Barry the Appeasor be doing about that?

Mr Obamas record Is the best of any president ever,he will go down as the greatest president to ever hold the office..The economy Is booming,unemployment Is going down at record levels. Gas prices are going to the moon just what we need to spur green energy.Food cost skyrocketing which Is good Americans are way to fat, time to cut down on your food Intake anyway..Forclosures at a record high, get people out of their homes and living In the city closer to work.Obama 2012 It will be a landslide on to Victory Obama,reid,pelosi :)

Thanks for a reminder of what Hillary Clinton (and many others, including Jay Rockefeller) said about Sadam Hussein--they gave a good push to Bush to get involved in overthrowing him before he could do something terrible with chemical weapons. They sing a very different song now, but their words are on record, so they cannot be denied.

The unilateral war on Iraq was a personal vendetta by GWB against Saddam. As bad as he was, he was secular in his approach to governance and was a stabilizing influence in the area as regards the Shiite theocratic dictatorship in Iran. After the first gulf war, the US made the mistake of allowing Saddam to retain his helicopter gunships, which he used to put down the marsh dwelling Shiites. We managed to protect the Kurds by establishing a no-fly zone. The Shiites now run Iraq, and leaving a token force of American troops there would have no influence over that. We stuck around in Viet Nam far longer than we should have using the same tired rhetoric (remember the "domino effect"). The party of perpetual war would have us invade Iran with the same disasterous results. It is too late to salvage Iraq politically or militarily. Was it really our job to do so?

According to the Koran and the teachings of Mohammad, a Sharia based state should be ruled by one man with an advisory council assisting him. It would appear that the Iraqis, left to their own devices, are achieving that goal....again.

You people blaming anything on Obama for the state of Iraq are just idiots! This was a manufactured war of revenge by GWB and Darth Chaney - Period! They LIED to start it. They MISUSED intelligence. They put our military in harms way and killed OUR kids that went to THEIR war. They SQUANDERED untold TRILLIONS of dollars. They KILLED countless INNOCENT Iraqis to get 1 man!

All those wasted American lives.......... All those wasted Iraqi lives........ All those wasted American tax dollars...... For what? What have we saved? What have we won? What were we doing dropping bombs on people in their homeland

The invasion and occupation of Iraq was planned for many years before we actually invaded and occupied them. 9/11 was just the excuse (as well as the made-up "weapons of mass destruction") by Cheney and his military complex gang. War is big money for the warmongers.

Good luck to Iraq. We cannot undo the damage that we have already done; it's now up to them to fix their own country.

You people blaming anything on Obama for the state of Iraq are just idiots! This was a manufactured war of revenge by GWB and Darth Chaney - Period! They LIED to start it. They MISUSED intelligence. They put our military in harms way and killed OUR kids that went to THEIR war. They SQUANDERED untold TRILLIONS of dollars. They KILLED countless INNOCENT Iraqis to get 1 man!

PERIOD!

How many Dems voted in favor of it???

Do I need to post comments from the Clinton Administration concerning Iraq and WMD's???